The beauty of the internet is such that every opinion has become worthless; this goes doubly so for those with publish buttons on (relatively, we're humble) major websites. For every opinion, there's a matching counter-opinion, and that's great. Yesterday, we linked to an article by Mark Pilgrim about tinkerers and the iPad, and of course, someone was bound to disagree with that one.

Thinking that the iPad or any similar device is going to elminate technological freedom is just flat-out bizarre.

thinking that such devices will not eliminate freedom is just flat-out bizarre.

easy eh?

this is a general trend, not just from Apple. haven't you seen, how the net also gets restricted?

you restrict small things, until the humans get used to it, and restrict more and more. More control, more power, more profit.
History repeating itself. Until the day you push it too far, which might take hundred of years. Again, that wouldn't be the first time in history.

On top of that, it does not matter, if a few individuals "vote with their money". This has no effect whatsoever on the masses. I'm not going to buy an iPad, you think Apple with figure out restricting freedom is not nice? Laughtable, at best.. 5 millions will buy one anyway

I'm pretty sure there are lot of good causes you defend that way and in a similar fashion there is no change being done by your "actions", or in this case, "inactions".

All you can do is make people aware of your point of view, which the internet facilitate greatly, and try to make them use CRITICISM towards everything. To make them get their OWN point of view. Not one they believe their own (aka being fed some advert/review/product/what-not and deciding its correct/not big deal/going to be ok)